What factors increase the risk of a fatigue-related incident?
Managing mental health and fatigue
When trying to establish the cause of an individual’s fatigue, it is easy to get caught up in the end point, or symptoms, of fatigue. However, start digging a little deeper and you may be able to identify the factors causing fatigue. Once we determine the underlying causes of fatigue, we are better able to……
Iron levels and fatigue
Iron is a mineral. It is necessary to make haemoglobin (an oxygen carrying molecule) in the blood. If iron is not eaten in adequate amounts in the diet; anaemia, tiredness and fatigue will result. People at greatest risk are pregnant and menstruating women, vegetarians and athletes. If you think you may be low in blood……
How does alcohol affect sleep
Alcohol is a depressant that slows the nervous system down. It impacts on the quality of the naturally occurring sleep cycles, and can increase sleep disturbance. Some people will say, “alcohol helps them sleep.” This is true to a point! But it is also counter-productive. The figure below illustrates how alcohol affects sleep (red line).……
Napping
Effective napping is a skill, which cannot be achieved by everyone. Napping cannot replace sleep, but can assist in times of sleep debt, extreme tiredness and/or when heightened alertness is required for your safety, such as driving a car. Naps may improve subsequent performance and alertness for a period of time, ranging from 2 to……
Anxiety and fatigue
While the symptoms of anxiety disorders change with the specific diagnosis, the common theme is an overwhelming sense of worry and the associated lack of concentration, feeling tired and irritable. To put it simply, anxiety is when you worry about being worried. Feelings of anxiety are common in certain situations throughout life. However, when people……
Hydration
Your body needs adequate fluid and electrolytes in order to have any chance of feeling energised. If these needs are not met, then physical and mental fatigue will increase, as will the potential for incidents, accidents and health problems. Hot weather, particularly when or working or being physically active, in the heat puts greater demands……
How much sleep do you need?
The amount of sleep that people require varies between individuals depending on many factors. Age is a major determinant of the quantity of sleep. The table below provides a general guide to the number of hours sleep needed through the stages of life. Children generally require more hours of sleep each day, while for most……
What factors increase the risk of a fatigue-related incident?
The following factors have been found to increase the risk of fatigue-related incidents (e.g. lane crossings) and accidents By planning your journey more carefully, you are more likely to stay fresh and vigilant at the wheel, safeguarding your own safety and the safety of others. The strategies outlined in the Journey Planning Guiding Principles document……
How sleep works
Good sleep helps us wake up feeling refreshed and alert for our daily activities. Sleep affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis. If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases, which can leave us feeling drowsy, tired and fatigued. IMPORTANTExperts have warned that……
Avoiding injury when exercising
Regardless of your exercise choice, one truth applies to everyone: preparation can prevent injury. Many common exercise injuries stem from overlooking two basics: warm-up and stretching. Warm-up: The idea of a warm-up is to swing your body into gear gradually – not suddenly. A good warm-up consists of slow, deliberate, rhythmic movements that are similar……